The police are pleading for people to stop making unnecessary 999 calls, with a list of time-wasting examples including a person asking for the weather forecast.
North Wales Police have publicly posted a series of inappropriate calls received on the emergency line.
One of those was of a person who dialled 999 to ask emergency responders for the weather forecast.
The caller in question had rung Mountain Rescue – which provides casualty care and crisis response – to see what the weather would be like before a hike.
Tourists on top of Snowdon. Credit: Flickr
They were planning a trip up Snowdon, a popular beauty spot and hiking destination for those living in the north west.
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The person claimed they couldn’t find an appropriate phone number to check the forecast.
The responder who answered the call told him: “Mountain Rescue wouldn’t be able to give you that [information] anyway. They’re a rescue.
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“This isn’t a reason to call 999 either.”
Other examples released by the police as part of their #ReduceDemand campaign include a person who had chipped a tooth, and another who was running low on diesel and didn’t know where the nearest petrol station was.
One caller was worried about how drunk their friend was.
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Superintendent Mark Williams said: “Each unnecessary call to us reduces time available for calls which are for genuine policing matters. It is also a waste of operators’ time and clogs up the pressured 999 system.
“Phoning 999 – which is an emergency line, for trivial matters such as to report a car with no wing mirror or to report last glasses is a complete waste of resources, and could possibly prevent a genuine life or death emergency call being put through.
“Other examples have included a 999 call being made due to someone not remembering their combination code to get into a safe.
“Calling 999 because of concern regarding a drunk friend is not a matter for the police. Although the person who rang us had genuine concern for their friend, we are unable to provide a taxi service to get people home safe.”
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You should generally only call 999 for the police if a life is in danger or someone is being physically threatened, or if you are witnessing a crime happening at the time, or think the offenders are still nearby.
Or if you witness or are involved in a serious road traffic collision where someone is badly injured, or other vehicles are causing an obstruction or a danger to other road users.
Otherwise, the 101 number deals with non-emergencies.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
UK News
Manchester councillor Bev Craig has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List
Danny Jones
The leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, has officially been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List for 2026.
Councillor Craig, who has held her leadership position since October 2021, received the OBE for her services to local government.
She joins several other regional councillors to be named by King Charles III.
First elected by Burnage residents back in 2011, she has spent more than a decade and a half devoting her professional life to the community, as well as nearly a whole five years of that time at the highest level within the Council.
The University of Manchester graduate has played several key roles throughout her career, including giving back to higher education, helping trade unions, as well as serving as an executive member for adult social care and health during the pandemic, before serving as Deputy and eventually Leader.
Speaking in an official statement, Craig said: “To receive an OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I’ve been able to give back to our city is all the more special.
“Manchester is an incredible city, made special by its people and a place I’m proud to call home.
“Leading our city is a privilege I don’t take for granted, so to get awarded an OBE for what we’ve been doing to make Manchester an even better place to live and improve the lives of Manchester people, while creating a city that is fairer and more inclusive for generations to come, is the real honour.”
With the Council having also confirmed two special NYE events on either side of the Town Hall this year, it feels like a fitting celebration.
Congratulations to Bev Craig on the well-deserved accolade and title; we have no doubt she’ll continue to excel in her post.
You can find the King’s 2026 New Year Honours List HERE.
As for the discussion around knighthoods, many Brits are currently calling for a change in the rules in hopes of making OBE, CBE and MBE, Kevin Sinfield a Sir.
Featured Images — Publicity picture (via Manchester City Council)
UK News
Netflix drops the first trailer for upcoming Peaky Blinders film
Danny Jones
It looks like Christmas has come early for TV drama fans and cinephiles, because Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Popcorn at the ready – even the teaser alone has got us fired up.
ln just 70 seconds, they’ve managed to pull us right back in, and we cannot wait to see Cillian Murphy back in full-on Tommy Shelby mode.
Not exaggerating when we say we have LITERAL chills.
As you can see, they certainly haven’t scrimped on the budget with the first-ever feature-length Peaky Blinders film, neither in terms of production value nor the cast.
Then again, having already hosted the likes of Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and others in the series itself, as well as going on to become one of the most successful BBC shows of all time, they were never going to.
We’re sure you spotted plenty of them for yourselves, but the debut trailer for The Immortal Man gives us not only our first glimpses of now Oscar-winning Murphy, 49, back in the saddle (both figuratively and literally) but also fellow blockbuster Irish actor, Barry Keoghan.
Other big names set to appear in the movie – set for a limited release in theatres before launching exclusively on Netflix – include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. It still remains unclear, however, as to how any of these characters will knit into the new season.
It’s also worth noting that the trailer shares a little snippet of the historical context, this continuation of the Shelby story is playing into, as we see what looks to be Nazi figures meeting on screen.
Creator Steven Knight has already confirmed that the plot will fast-forward some years to meet back up with Tommy at the outset of WWII and his ancestral home of Birmingham during the Blitz.
Having already confirmed 6 March as the theatrical release date ahead of it going live on Netflix a fortnight later, the anticipation was seriously starting to ramp; this latest look has only added to the tinderbox of excitement.
What do you make of the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer, and will you be watching it?
Daisy Jackson -
4th January 2022 
